Only Murders in the Building – The Stunt Man

By starrymag | September 24, 2024

By: Sammi Turano

 

 

Charles is sleeping and a voiceover talking about movie making…all while Charles (Steve Martin) dreams about Sazz (Jane Lynch)….looking for her and then finding her. She says that they are looking for paradise as he sees her gunshot wound. The voiceover then talks about the importance of the stuntperson’s relationship with the actor.

Charles meets with Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short)  about his discoveries and how Sazz talked to him in a dream. He wants to fill in the blanks in her life and figure out why she was questioning him on the West Tower.

As Oliver sleeps, Mabel says the ham radio voice is silent, and the Westies are freezing her out. She and Charles peek outside to the West side, calling them cult adjacent.

Oliver drinks coffee as Charles and Mabel wonder why he is so tired. He talks about his relationship with Loretta and how she sees a male arm on her Instagram post. Mabel realizes Sazz followed Loretta and they discover that she was at a stuntman bar called Concussions the day she died.

Oliver tries to show Mabel his tablet, but it is too bright. He begins yelling at it to make the brightness stop.

Mabel talks to Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton), who is in a bed Eva Longoria gifted to Mabel…with a pig. He wants her to hop in so they can work on their podcast. He plays what he recorded, but she has to follow a lead, causing them to bicker. She promises he is where he is supposed to be while he is upset about being in bed with a pig. It turns out they are watching the apartment she is squatting as they wait for Dudenoff to return.

The trio go to investigate while Oliver talks about an alias he made to spy on Loretta via Instagram….aka Ronnie, the lady who likes crafts, merlot and positive thinking.

The trio enter the bar while Oliver takes pictures with the flash on. Mabel schools him on misusing it and threatens to take it away. The guys try to order drinks, but the bartender wonders why they are really there. Mabel says that they are here to talk about Sazz, but the bartender (Michael McFadden) won’t talk. Charles tries to bribe him with eleven dollars, but the bartender and stunt doubles yell at them because they are upset they can’t give her a proper stuntman funeral…no body no funeral.

A person flies out of the back and he identifies himself as Glen (Paul Rudd), Ben’s stunt double. He is crushed over Ben’s death and begins screaming and kicking what he thinks are rats, despite the bartender telling hm there aren’t any.

A woman walks into the back room with a purple light which Mabel recognizes from Sazz’s photo. Mabel wants to investigate, but they are kicked out and threatened by Glen…who then follows them out, asking for a job while performing stunts.

They agree, but only if he explains the back room. Glen tells them that is Dr. Maggie’s room where she helps stuntpeople get cracked…or do chiropractor work, as Mabel infers. Glen says Sazz was always there, so the trio want to find a way to get access.

Glen then talks about Sazz’s pain, which surprises Charles. He decides to go back alone…..for Sazz. He is scared, but Oliver tells him (as Ronnie) to face his fear or the fear will eat his face. Glen takes Charles back, who tells the others he will meet them at the Arconia.

Howard is with the pig working on the podcast when he hears a noise. He sees a note sliding under the door and sees that is is for an audition for the Only Murders movie. He wants to stay loyal to Mabel by watching the apartment but goes on an audition for the movie. Trina (Catherine Cohen), Tawny (Siena Werber) and Bev (Molly Shannon) act like they hate it, but Bev says they love it, Howard thinks he is going to play himself, but they think he is too amazing for that.

Charles meets with Dr. Maggie (Veanne Cox) as Glen goes upside down to avoid being recognized. She says she will talk, but only if she can get him on the table and work on his tension.

Mabel and Oliver are back at the Arconia with Oliver worrying about Loretta and Ronnie bonding. Mabel is worried about him at this point and finally gets him to open up about his fear of failing in this relationship and a possible marriage.

Howard comes in to tell Mabel he is exiting their one-sided relationship and gives her the pig. He tries to tell her to take care of it, but then takes it back. Mabel runs out when she realizes the apartment is empty.

Dr. Maggie works on Charles and talks about Sazz wanting to get out of a relationship where she was giving more than she was getting. Charles asks if she talked about paradise as Dr. Maggie gets in deeper, leading to another dream sequence with Sazz telling him she wants him to follow her to paradise. He wakes up and realizes that he was the bad guy in the relationship. Glen asks if Dr. Maggie can help with the heartache, but Charles leaves.

Mabel rushes back to the apartment and sees Stinkeye Joe (Richard Kind), Rudy (Kumail Nanjiani), Inez (Daphne Rubin-Vega), Ana (Lilian Rebelo) and Alfonso (Desmin Borges) moving her bed. She asks why they are there and Stinkeye Joe says he could ask her the same question. She asks what is going on and Vince says she may as well know.

Stinkeye Joe tells her they are illegally subletting apartments via Dudenoff as they all share that they are doing to survive and how he is helping them live a better life. By paying $200 a month for rent. They promise to cut her in if she keeps it quiet.

Rudy also says his crazy ex Helga was the woman on the radio and that she is unhinged. She actually has no idea about Sazz…she is just nuts. Stinkeye Joe says she is the wrong kind of weirdo, but Mabel could be the right kind.

The trio drink wine and play cards while sharing about what happened that day. Oliver is still harping on Ronnie, which Mabel thinks could ruin things with Loretta. Mabel shuts down the profile while Charles realizes he could honor Sazz by doing her funeral stunt double.

He goes to the bar where the other stuntpeople have a funeral fit for a stuntperson with breaking bottles and drinks.

Glen makes a speech and is caught using a fake bottle to break, causing a fight, which he says is what Sazz would have wanted.

There is a flashback to Sazz and Charles working on Brazzos together. She tells him about opening up a trampoline place like her dad and he tells her to go for it. She wants he idea to be kept a secret, but she trusts him, her number one guy.

The trio go to the place where she wanted to open the place…her paradise….and now future home of the Sazz Pataki Impact Academy.

They walk in and are held at gunpoint by Bev as the episode comes to a close.